By Ann Marie Fallon
November 23, 2007
When you hear “Reader’s Digest property,” many in New Castle think automatically about the proposed development plans that have been under debate over the last several years; it’s very unlikely that apples come to mind.
But there are 25 apple trees on the property, now known as Chappaqua Crossing, that have yielded a bumper crop this year. The fruit trees, planted over the last 15 to 25 years, grow in rows parallel to the entrance drive from Bedford Road. David Walsh, director of asset management for Summit Development LLC, the corporate owner of the property, decided to use this bounty to aid the Food Bank of Westchester, the county’s largest supplier of food to local food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, adult care centers and residential treatment centers.
“With autumn’s approach, it was clear to us that these trees had the potential of producing an excellent yield and would be perfect for Thanksgiving,” Walsh explained. “Having the food bank based here in the town of New Castle was a perfect tie-in. It all fit together very nicely and certainly was appropriate for the holiday.”
Apples converted to funds for food bank
Apples harvested by the grounds staff at the site have been processed into 300 half- gallons of fresh-pressed apple cider. The cider will be given to employees at the office complex on the property who, in turn, are being asked to make a $2 donation to the Food Bank per half-gallon jug of cider. Summit/Greenfield, the developers of Chappaqua Crossing, will match the employees’ donations to the food bank.
Walsh turned to Geoffrey Thompson of Thompson & Bender, the public relations and advertising firm for Chappaqua Crossing as well as the owner and operator of Thompson’s Cider Mill and Orchard in Croton-on-Hudson, for an assessment of the quality of the apples and the practicality of pressing them into cider. Thompson reports, “These trees are largely a hardy variety called Idared. The yield of about six bushels per tree is excellent. It’s apparent that the grounds staff really took care of the orchard.”
Frank Pagani, spokesperson for Chappaqua Crossing, addressed the question of whether the apple trees will survive the development of the property. “It is too early to tell if the harvested trees will remain where they are currently planted if the development plans before the town of New Castle are approved. If necessary, [the developers] will attempt to transplant the trees to another location on the property.”
Copyright 2008 NewCastleNOW.org